$750K In Emergency Funding To Tackle Food Insecurity In County

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County lawmakers on Thursday agreed to draw $750,000 from cash reserves to help address food insecurity in the region.

Of that total, $400,000 will support nonprofit organizations so that they can offer food assistance resources to struggling residents; $300,000 will secure ethnic and culturally appropriate food items from ethnic grocery stores (to be distributed in areas with high concentrations of vulnerable populations); and $50,000 will provide continued planning, coordination, and implementation of food security efforts.

Councilmembers Nancy Navarro, Gabe Albornoz, and Craig Rice spearheaded the funding.

"It goes without saying that we are in a race against time. And the issues with insecurity are just getting worse," Navarro said.

Albornoz called the economic hardships caused by COVID-19 a "humanitarian crisis" and said the council needs to do everything it can to help residents out.

"We have a humanitarian crisis on our hands. And so everything that we can do to support our community and provide those essential and basic needs, such as food security (and) rental assistance, has never been more important than right now," Albornoz said.

Click here to learn more about the $750,000 special appropriation.